Umineko no Naku Koro ni Review

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When the Seagulls cry) is considered to be the third in the When They Cry series, through notably different from the previous two Higurashi No Naku Koro ni instalments. Whereas Higurashi is a truly marvellous feat of horror/suspense animation, with its genuinely innovative formula and gory atmosphere, Umineko in comparison is a slight let down. It tries to hard to heave the same twists and turns of its predecessor, thus overcomplicating the story unnecessarily. Towards the end it reaches the point where anything could be introduced into plot and the characters would just accept it, hiding behind the excuse “a wizard did it/it was just an illusion”.

The initial concept is perhaps more compelling then Higurashi. The wealthy Ushiromiya family gather on the isolated island of Rokkenjima, where the family head (Kinzo Ushiromiya) has been given three months to live, thus the issues of inheritance and succession are on the cards. However in a desperate bid to revive his long lost love, the Golden Witch, Beatrice, Kinzo prepares a sacrificial ceremony using his children and grandchildren. In itself simple yet interesting, it’s a straightforward murder mystery with a supernatural/black magic backdrop. This is probably what makes the first arc my favourite in that it heavily downplays the fantasy/magic element. Enter the first major plot twist. While every other character acknowledges that the culprit must be the Witch Beatrice, Battler Ushiromiya strenuously denies the existence of witches, thus provoking Beatrice to reveal herself and set Battler a challenge. In order to beat her, he must offer a rational explanation to each murder, one that decisively disproves the involvement of magic.

This adds an extra dimension to the anime, but it also makes Umineko feel cluttered. As the arcs continue, more witches and their familiars are introduced, and the murders become more fantastical. On top of that every character has been dead at least once to disprove that the killer is amongst the Ushiromiya family. It becomes increasingly difficult to accept a rational explanation other then, the characters are on mushrooms or Battler has an overactive imagination. To be honest, Battler as the killer would be a good final twist, but the anime seems to leaning so far into the realms of fantasy that anything other then magic would seem to be a cop out.

The characters act as a lifesaver. Battler works well as the male protagonist, mainly prompted through skepticism rather then a superior intellect, thus allowing his frustration to feel believable. Beatrice swings back and forth from cold, maniacally laughing villain to disinterested and aloof opponent. It seems Battler acknowledging her is more important than winning (killing everyone, which she managed to do in the very first arc). The George/Shannon romance is feels slightly more plausible then the Jessica/Kanon romance, but that might be because it was introduced first and the likelihood of two cousins falling for two servant siblings seems far fetched. The adults are multi layered and complex, the arcs allow for a rich exploration of the Ushiromiya family life and background that enable the aunts and uncles to develop beyond the greedy money grabbing bunch portrayed in the first episode. The only annoying character is Maria, partly because no one seems to take notice of her psycho mood swings.

In all, irredeemably mind bogglingly and thought-provoking, satisfactory execution with a strong direction, but ultimately woefully inconclusive. The show ends on a cliff hanger that almost renders the entire anime pointless if there isn't going to be a somewhat stable wrap up. At the moment Umineko ranks a respectable 7/10, chiefly because there is no sequel, leaving the show feeling uneven. It seems I have another anime to add to my fingers crossed list.

Rating: 7/10